


The Collection

by merlin07



Category: David Tennant - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Implied/Referenced Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-06-08 14:28:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 18,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6858745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merlin07/pseuds/merlin07
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Onwards</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Just as the words "here we go again," came from The Master's lips the TARDIS was filled with a yellow light. It reminded David of a theatre spot light as it swept around the room seemingly searching for something not sure what the light was looking for he quickly ducked into the shadows and out of its path.

First it cast its brightness on The Doctor, and appeared to scan him head to foot before moving on over to The Master. When the light hit the other Time Lord the TARDIS was plunged back into darkness. 

A few seconds later the lights went up and the time rotor was running again. The Doctor rushed over to the console, and stroked the controls, cooing to the TARDIS under his breath, "you're all right girl" he reached his hand up to touch the central column, "what did those nasty beings do to you?"

David glanced around the room and walked over to The Doctor, "not to interrupt, whatever it is you're doing, but I think we may have a problem."

The Doctor didn't look up from the console, "everything seems to be in working order, all levels are fine," he replied as he ran around the control panel.

"I didn't mean with the TARDIS," David followed him, "we seem to be light one passenger."

The Doctor glanced at him in confusion, "come again?"

"The Master?" David gestured around the room, "he's gone."

"Don't be stupid," The Doctor shot back, "he can't be gone!"

"Unless he is also a master of hide and seek, I'd say he's vanished."

The Doctor closed his eyes reaching out telepathically to his fellow Time Lord. After a few seconds his face fell and he opened his eyes, "you're right, he's gone."

The Doctor grabbed the monitor pulling it to him, "not to worry that restraining collar has a homing device on it, if I can't just tune this to the right frequency..."

His twiddlings were interrupted by the collar being dangled in front of his face, "I don't think that's going to help," David countered placing the device in The Doctor's hands, "whatever snatched him left it behind."

The Doctor turned the collar over in his hands, then walked over to the jump seat and sat down with a sigh, "this isn't good."

"Maybe he arranged an escape?" David offered sitting down next to the dejected Time Lord.

"I felt him briefly,” The Doctor countered, "he didn't go willingly, he was taken by force. I caught something about his past catching up with him, before I lost the connection."

The Doctor shook his head sadly, "knowing him and all the things he's done it's going to be a bit hard to narrow down what that means. Whoever or whatever has him has blocked me, and that's going to make finding him about as easy as searching for a pin in a haystack."

"Needle," David corrected.

"A pin in a needle stack?" The Doctor frowned, "that makes no sense."

"No, the phrase is, 'needle in a haystack'."

"Whatever, but the big picture here is we have to get him back!" The Doctor snapped, "and sitting here discussing the finer points of Earth idioms is a complete waste of time!"

David chose to ignore The Doctor's tone, "but how are you going to do that? You have no idea who took him, where he went or anything?"

The Doctor stood up, pulled out his glasses from his jacket pocket and put them on, "I guess we start with the most recent and work our way back."

"Aren't you just the wee bit tempted to let whoever has him keep him?" David asked, "he seems to be a complete pain in the ass."

"Very tempted," The Doctor gave a half smile, "but I can't. He's my responsibility now and even as a prisoner or a hostage or whatever term you care to use, he's dangerous. I am more concerned about whoever took him..."

\-------

The Master had reached the end of his extensive vocabulary of curse words and was cycling back through some of his favourites as he tried to get out of the cuffs. One minute he was standing in the TARDIS the next he was in a very small cell and cuffed to the wall. 

He had yet to see his jailers, but he could see a small hole cut in one wall that had a reflective something in it, so he guessed they could see him, "you've made a grave error," he addressed the camera. Then he shot the lens a glare that had made many a being question the value and the brevity of its life, "return me to my ship and I will let you off easy."

"Well, that's not going to work," came a voice from the next cell.

The Master turned towards the sound and his mouth dropped open, "what are you doing here?" he asked.

The other rose from the floor of the neighbouring cell, slowly, The Master blanched at the various bruises and cuts evident as he came into the light, "I haven't a clue, but I can say it appears that we are dealing with a collector," he gestured at the line of cells.

In the distance The Master could barely make out the form of a Dalek, and then he turned his attention back to his neighbour. 

"How long have been here?" he asked trying not to let the fear that made his hearts pound in his chest reflect in his voice.

The other shrugged, "days? hours? months? I have lost track." Then he stepped away and retook his position on the floor, "I'd tell you not to resist them, but I know better. Just do me a favour, if/when they torture you, keep the noise to a minimum, it's hard enough to sleep without someone screaming."


	2. Chapter 2

The Master watched his neighbour curl up into a ball and fall back asleep and then turned his attention to the other cells around him. Across the aisle was an almost anorexic looking Slitheen, its skin a dull green and its eyes only half open.

The cell two down from that held something he wasn't quite sure he could identify, it was comprised mostly of orange fur and teeth, but it was a species unknown to him. 

He called out to the occupant next to him, "do you know why we're here?" 

The figure rolled over onto his back and opened one eye, "what part of my being asleep confused you? The closed eyes or the soft snoring?"

"Pardon?" The Master replied.

The other eye opened, "it would appear sarcasm is lost on you. OK, the translation then. I don't quite know how to tell you this but being block mates doesn't make us friends. I've had a pretty rough night, as you can see," he gestured at his bruised face, "and I'm exhausted."

"Why did they do that to you?" 

"I wouldn't give them the information they wanted," the other replied calmly, in the same tone as one would comment on the weather, "so they tried to get me to see the error of my ways."

"What did they want to know?" The Master continued.

The other sat up, levelling his gaze at The Master, "I don't wish to be rude, you know what? Strike that I do wish to be rude, and here it is; even if I had no idea who you were why would I tell you anything? You seem a bit too unscathed for me, which makes me wonder if you’re a plant. So how about letting me get some rest and you shutting the hell up?"

"I'm not a plant! I am a prisoner like you," The Master protested, "and if we work together maybe we can get out of this place."

"You mean I help you escape and you throw me to the wolves?" the other laughed, "let me think about that....thinking done. No."

The Master took a closer look at him, and was suddenly aware that the other's arm appeared to be broken; it hung off at an odd angel to the rest of his body, "are you in a lot of pain?"

This got him a snort and an eye roll, "as if you care. Now please, I'm asking you nicely, leave me alone." With that he laid back down, turning away from The Master.

"Why would they want me?" The Master mused aloud, "they could have grabbed The Doctor or that mongrel..."

That comment provoked a reaction from the next cell, "maybe they're starting an asshole exhibit and you're going to be the star attraction!" the other hissed, "if I hear you say anything like that again I’ll rip your hearts out myself!"

The Master snorted, "you can barely stand, I hardly think..."

But before he could finish that thought a hand shot through the bars of his cell and firmly grabbed him by the throat, "I could crush you now," he heard a calm voice intone right next to his ear.

Then just when The Master thought he would have to go into respiratory bypass he was released, "but maybe it will be better to let our hosts deal with you." 

He turned and looking into the other's dark fathomless eyes he mustered a smile, "I can see why they want you, you are a freak of the highest order," The Master sneered. 

"I've been called worse, by people who matter to me," The other man shrugged, "that was a warning, you can call me anything you want, but you step over that line and extend your filth to those I love..." he snapped his fingers on his good hand and then moved to the furthest end of his cell and disappeared into the shadows.

\--------

The Doctor leaned heavily on the console; his hands spread far apart and just stared straight ahead. David watched him in uneasy silence, not quite sure what, if anything he could do to help. He was about to go off in search of the TARDIS' kitchen and see about making some tea when his mobile rang. 

"How is that even possible?" he asked fishing it out of his pocket.

The Doctor straightened up, bounded over to him and snatched the phone out of his hand, “universal roaming," he quickly explained, "when you were asleep I modified your phone, you can get calls from anywhere or any when and if you know the code you call out too!"

Then he held the phone up to his ear, "hello? Yes, what? When? Any idea where? Well, yes, I know but...."

The Doctor put his hand over the speaker, "it's for me."

"Do you want me to leave the room?" David offered, but the Time Lord was pacing as he was talking and didn't hear him.

"The Master was taken too. Yes very tempting, but you know I can't...." The Doctor grimaced as he turned back towards David, "I can't, no really. OK where? We'll see you there." 

He pressed a button on the phone and tossed it back to David, "seems there are quite a few disappearances lately..."

"Who was that?" 

"Violet," The Doctor replied, "she called from a space station on one of the moons of Oskerion," he strode over the console and started flipping switches and setting coordinates, "and she is in danger."  
The Doctor didn't look up from the controls, "she's next on the list."

David got between The Doctor and the console, "talk to me. What list?"

The Doctor took a few steps back and regarded the actor silently for a few seconds, "one of the missing is the meta-crisis."

"His name is John," David corrected.

"John, fine! Or whatever he wants to call himself, is missing. And when he disappeared she found a list, obviously not meant to be left behind, but there you go. It had a various items on the list and the meta...I mean John was crossed off, because they got him. She's next."

The Doctor moved away from David and went around to the other side, "and then you."

David couldn't quite make out what he said so he followed the Time Lord, "care to repeat that?"

The Doctor stopped his movements, and went deadly still, "I said, and you're the next one after Violet."

"Me?" David gasped, "why me?"

"I don't know," The Doctor quickly spoke then looked down avoiding his gaze.

"Yes you do,” David replied.

The Doctor smiled sadly, "this list seems to be comprised of unique or rare creatures. Either the last of a breed or a very unique subset of a specific race. I haven't quite figured out the pattern but the meta...John, is the only one of his kind and so are you."

He could see the impact his words had on the actor so he took him by the shoulders and gazed into his eyes, "I promise you I will not let that happen. As long as you're with me you're safe."

"That didn't go so well for The Master," David countered.

"I didn't know what we were dealing with, but I do now!" The Doctor leaned in close, "trust me?"

David took a deep breath, "I trust you."

The Doctor smiled widely and let him go, "good! We're here! Give me your TARDIS key, please."

David removed the key from his pocket and handed it to The Doctor, the Time Lord took it and then diving under one of the panels of grating rummaged around a bit before emerging with a grin, "this...” he held up his fingers, "is a homing device." 

David squinted but could see nothing, "I'll take your word for that," he laughed.

The Doctor put the key down on the console and placed something on it and with a few pulses from the sonic screwdriver handed it back, "put that some place safe and don't lose it! If we get separated that will allow me to track you down!"

As David slipped the string with the key around his neck he asked, "but I thought you said nothing would happen to me?"

"Better safe than sorry," The Doctor smiled and bounded down the ramp to the TARDIS' doors, "after you!"


	3. Chapter 3

Not that he considered himself a connoisseur of space stations but this one seemed to be quite run down and shabby, David thought as he stepped out of the TARDIS. The films always showed bases as towers of gleaming white or monuments of shining steel. This one seemed held together by gaffer's tape, paper clips and odd bits of tin foil.

The Doctor caught him looking around, "it's seen better days that's for sure, " he smiled, "but it's not like we're taking up a time share here, we're just stopping to pick up Violet," he gestured at a set of doors, "she said she'd be waiting in reception for us."

As they got to what David surmised was reception The Doctor looked around for Violet, "oh look they've got a little shop!" he exclaimed and bounded over to it. David scanned the room as The Doctor picked up a squeaky toy and squeezed it. The thing's eyes bugged out and it make a rather rude noise. The Doctor laughed and picked up another one, seeming to forget why they were there.

David didn't want to spoil The Doctor's fun but seeing that they appeared to be attracting a lot of attention he finally tapped the Time Lord on the shoulder, "um Doctor? Shouldn't we be trying to find Violet?"

"Hmmm?" The Doctor gave another toy a squeeze with giggle, "oh yes, Violet! Sorry, these things just crack me up," he tossed the toy back into the bin and took a deep breath, "wonder what colour her hair is this time?"

"It isn't always pink?" David asked.

"When I first met her it was blonde, then red, not ginger I mean full on fire red. Then mauve, green, yellow, and then some colour that I think was meant to be aqua marine but looked like rotten spinach mixed with mouth wash. The oddest was the red, white and blue streaks, sort of like the Union flag in ponytails and a mohawk, and then pink."

David glanced around the reception area, "unless she's gone for camouflage, I don't see her."

The Doctor went quiet, scanning the large room, and then back at David, "I don't either, maybe she stepped out for a bit?"

David's eye was caught by a large figure in what appeared to be black metal plating approaching them, "when Violet mentioned the list, did she happen to say what colour paper it was on?"

The Doctor glanced at him, “no, why is that important?"

"It might not be," David continued, not taking his eyes off of the fast approaching figure, "but that, whatever it is coming this way, and a bit quickly I might add, is holding a long piece of yellow paper and ..."

The Doctor followed the actor's stare, "you could be on to something. This might be a good time to..."

"Run!" they both said in unison and took off back to the TARDIS at breakneck speed.

They had just made it safely inside when the figure caught up with them. The Doctor peeked through the window at the figure, "what's under all that armour?" he wondered.

"I don't know but I have the feeling it's got a shopping list and I'm on it," David looked out too.

"Only one way to find out," The Doctor quickly opened the TARDIS door, reached out and snatched the paper from the armour clad being and slammed the door again. The creature stood staring at its empty hand in shock for a few minutes before pounding on the door with both fists. 

For this part The Doctor ignored the sounds coming from just outside the TARDIS, until one particularly loud outburst made him wince, "now that is just plain rude," he called out over his shoulder. 

Then he took the list over to the jump seat and pulling out his glasses settled in to read the piece of paper.

"Good news and bad news," The Doctor called out after studying the paper for a while.

"Surprise me," David replied not taking his eyes off of the armour clad being as it pounded on the doors and rocked the TARDIS.

"The bad news is you are definitely on this list. Further bad news is that Violet's name is now crossed off so that means they have her, " The Doctor looked over at the actor and held up the list pointing to one section of it, "the thing is this list is very extensive. It has over one hundred items I don't understand why someone would want all of these."

"Some sort of intergalactic scavenger hunt? Or maybe they're starting a zoo," David replied, "or a museum?"

"You and The Master would not be much of a breeding pair," The Doctor laughed, then he looked at the list again, "you are a genius! And I don't often give that title to anyone but myself!" He jumped up and hugged David.

"Which of those wild ass guesses are you so excited about?" David asked after The Doctor let him go.

"Your 'wild ass' guess number three. We're in orbit around Oskerion!"

"That name sounds familiar," David wracked his brains trying to remember where he had heard that before.

"Bad fan boy, no cookie," The Doctor laughed, then growing serious, "a few years back...ohhhh long time back or in the future, if you want to look at it on a strictly linear way, I met a collector from Oskerion. He was gathering up 'specimens' from all over the cosmos, not just this universe but all known and maybe even unknown universes. I stopped him, but it seems either he or someone like minded is back into the collection biz."

"So it's nothing personal, he just collects things?" 

The Doctor looked at the list, "this time it does seem to be a bit more personal..." he folded the list up and put it in one of his pockets, "time to pay a little visit I think" with that he started the process of landing the TARDIS on the planet below.


	4. Chapter 4

Just about then The Master was wishing he had detachable arms or the very least a more flexible foot. He had developed a rather annoying and persistent itch on his nose and given the position he was in, there was no way to scratch it. He pictured waking up his rather cranky neighbour and asking him to scratch it but figured that the end result would most likely be having his nose ripped off; he decided to try just ignoring it.

A few minutes later a contingent of black armour clad beings stomped down the long corridor, they stopped at the cell of the orange beast, and opened the door. The thing stood up, towering over its jailers but instead of using that to its advantage it cringed back and made supplicating noises as it held its hands up.

The guards snapped cuffs on the thing’s wrist and ankles and gave it a jolt from a long stick-like instrument for good measure. The thing howled so loudly at this that The Master felt like his eardrums would burst before another jolt was administered causing it to go completely silent.

"Is that the way this is going to be?" The Master wondered aloud.

The voice from the other cell spoke from the shadows, "to be honest I think they prefer if you don't cooperate, they seem to get off on it."

“If you know that, then why don’t you just give them what they want?” The Master countered.

“You would,” the other man laughed, “but they want my wife and my son, and I will do anything to stop that.”

“Have you considered that they will get them anyway and all your martyrdom will be for nought?” 

“If they are caught it will not be because of me. It will be in spite of me. But I don’t expect you to comprehend that. How did the noble Time Lords ever produce a monster like you?” 

“They were not that noble,” The Master snorted, “they were a bunch of pompous, sticks in the mud. They would rather pass judgement than help; they were a self-satisfied and terminal bore of a race. You wouldn’t understand because you’ve got the hype programmed into you, and you’ve romanticised them because you have no choice.”

“I am my own identity,” he spoke as he came out of the shadows to glare down at The Master, “I may be just a ‘meta crisis’ in your eyes but I am a separate person with my own memories and my own opinions now. Maybe I do have a romantic view of a race I’ll never meet. But of the two examples I’ve seen of it, you and The Doctor, I would like to think he embodies all that is good and right of the Time Lords, and you…well…are the scum.”

The Master held the other’s gaze steadily, “while we’re being honest, if I had been there at your creation I would have snapped your scrawny neck. Everything about you is wrong. You have no reason to be, and are an abomination. You are a stain that should be removed.”

The Master expected anger or denial from his words that were carefully chosen and designed to wound. What he did not expect was a loud and very amused laugh instead. Despite himself he joined in the laughter nervously.

After a bit John took a deep breath, “feel better? Was that cathartic? Got it off your chest now?”

“Actually, yes,” The Master nodded.

“Good,” John smiled, “now that we know where we both stand, I have reconsidered. I think you’re correct, we should join forces. I am not suggesting we attempt a love fest, because let’s face it you’re a complete jerk, but there’s no reason we can’t work together to get the hell out of here.”

The Master gaped at him, “you are almost as impossible as the original,” he sighed.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” John laughed, “now, first things first. We need to get you out of those cuffs…”

\-------

The TARDIS landed but The Doctor showed no eagerness to leave the ship, instead he sat on the jump seat in silence.

“Are we going out?” David asked taking a seat next to the Time Lord. 

The Doctor didn’t answer him, just looked down at his hands. 

“All right…” David prompted, “what’s on your mind?”

“You know I have you only in the highest regard, right?” The Doctor started, “and I don’t want you to think that I see you as anything other than an equal.”

“This doesn’t sound good,” David replied.

“Well…seeing as how you are next on the list….” The Doctor continued, “and we are trying to flush out…I mean…find out who, or what is collecting….”

“I’m to be bait, again,” David sighed.

“You don’t have to, but it seems the best way to catch this fish is to dangle a worm,” The Doctor winced, “forget I just said that, you’re not a worm. Not even sure where that came from!”

“No offence taken,” David interrupted, “what’s the plan?”


	5. Chapter 5

“I wouldn’t ask, but I am nowhere on this list, for some reason I’m not very collectable,” The Doctor sighed, looking very dejected. 

“I’m not sure it’s much of an honour,” David countered smiling at The Doctor’s reaction.

“You’re probably correct, but I’m still not sure why The Master was chosen instead.”

“You said the list seems to contain unique subsets? Maybe they wanted an evil Time Lord?” David offered.

“At one time that wasn’t that unique,” The Doctor mused, talking more to himself, then he straightened up, “but anyway…if this collector is a complete-ist and is going straight down the list, you’re the next one he, she or whatever, will want to get.”

“Got that, not happy about it, but I got it.”

“You have a homing device on the TARDIS key, but that won’t help us if they take that from you.”

“Right…”

The Doctor was silent for a moment, clearly working out this issue, “got it!” he shouted suddenly making David jump, and he bounded off up one of the ramps, and out of sight. David was not sure if he should be following the Time Lord or not so instead he just waited for him to return. 

He didn’t have to wait long, a few minutes later The Doctor came running back down a different ramp, then he stopped in front of David and held up a cube of cheese, “you aren’t lactose intolerant are you?”

“Not as far as I know,” David replied.

“I put a homing device in this cheese, you need to eat this and it will stay in your system for, um well hopefully long enough to for me to track you and rescue you,” The Doctor handed the piece of cheese to David, “or do you want some crisps to go with that?”

\----

The Master watched for the guards as John worked on the cuffs at his wrist with a bent piece of wire trying to free him. He tried not to, but the comparisons to The Doctor kept popping up. The way that the meta-crisis cocked his head and the tip of his tongue peeking out from between his lips as he concentrated were scarily familiar.

“Do you still share memories?” The Master finally asked.

“Hmm?” John replied not looking up from his task.

“If The Doctor feels something now, do you feel too? And vice versa?”

John shot him a glare, “you’re going to need to decide what’s more important. Do you want to play twenty questions or do you want me to get you out of here?”

“I was just curious,” The Master snapped defensively. 

“This is hard enough with just one working hand without having to take time out to answer you,” John bent his head back down and crooked the wire a bit more before getting back to work.

“You look like him, but your personality is different…”

“I swear, you keep prying and this alliance is off,” John growled, “I should have listened to my initial instincts, and let you rot here. I don’t need you poking around in my brain; I have enough on my mind without that.” With that he stopped his attempts and rose to his feet.

“When you have your priorities straight, let me know,” he walked away from the bars and disappeared into the shadows of his cell.

“You are definitely a lot less tolerant!” The Master called after him, then under his breath he mumbled, “freak.”  
\---

John heard The Master’s comment, of course. 

He sat down on the floor of his cell and watched The Master from the shadows. After a while he pushed up the sleeve on his injured arm and noted with some satisfaction that the healing was coming along nicely, already the purple bruises were fading and the bones knitting themselves back together.

At least he got that out of the mix of genes, he smiled. The quick healing ability of the Time Lords was a bit slower in him due to his pedigree but he still healed faster than the average human.

He closed his eyes, not that he wanted The Master’s approval but it did sting a bit to be thought of with such disdain. Still, he thought taking a deep breath, The Master needed him and that gave him the upper hand. So he’d let the Time Lord think about that. Mull it over in his mind. When The Master acknowledged that then and only then would he help him out.

John’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of approaching guards and a very familiar voice calling them every foul name in the book and a few that were quite original. He looked up to see Violet being half-led and half-carried down the hall way. 

She bit one of the guards on the only exposed bit of flesh she could find as she was roughly shoved into the neighbouring cell.

“Hi honey, I’m home,” she quipped as she reached through the bars and stroked his face.


	6. Chapter 6

This time when the TARDIS landed it was in a much less populated area. In fact it appeared to be a disused strip mine. As he stepped out of the ship David was struck at how much it looked like the quarry in Wales that often doubled for an alien landscape.

Only this place didn't have camera crews and lighting to make it more welcoming. What it did have was a sharp wind that cut through his clothing and made him wince.

"Where are we?" he asked The Doctor as he hugged his hoodie closer to his chest.

"We are about ten metres from the central habitation area of Oskerion," The Doctor pointed off into the distance. 

David noticed that he didn't even bother to button his coat and the temperature didn't appear to effect him at all, "aren't you cold?" he asked.

"Cold? Now that you mention it, it is a bit chill, but this is the height of summer! If you want to talk about cold you should be here when it's winter, now that is an interesting experience. I was here once during the winter festival and they had this contest to see who could stand, unclothed, outside the longest without having a part or two break off..." The Doctor started walking in the direction that he had gestured towards earlier, "which is OK if you're from around here because they just grow back, but imagine the waiting time? You could be headless for days until the new one came in."

David followed The Doctor without really being able to see what they were heading for, in silence, concerned that his tongue might freeze off if he opened his mouth.

The Doctor continued, "of course the problem is each time they regrow the parts come in smaller, so conceivably one could wind up with a child sized, well, whatever, on an adult body. It's not usually something they court, but it is a pretty useful adaptation."

The Doctor kept up a steady stream of patter, mostly about regrowing body parts, the pros and cons, until they reached what appeared to be a sheer cliff drop. Then he stopped talking, held his hands out and seemed to be miming being in a trapped in a small box.

The wind was blocked there so David felt it was safe to open his mouth, "what are you doing?" he asked between shivers.

"The doorway is around here somewhere," The Doctor kept up his actions until he hit something, "molto bene!" he called out as a portal opened up.

David stepped forward and was almost inside when The Doctor stopped him, "this is where the plan springs into action. You go down those steps," he pointed to one side of the foyer, "and I'll give you about fifteen minutes and then follow. They don't have cameras outside the habitat but the minute you go in you'll be watched."

The Doctor gave David a quick hug, "good luck!"

With a deep breath David stepped into the foyer and made his way into the main habitation area. The heat hit him like a blast furnace as soon as he got halfway down into the city, he didn't notice the smell until he was all the way inside.

It wasn't exactly unpleasant, David mused, it reminded him of a gym locker room that had been heavily sprayed with a floral air freshener. Not a scent he would want to wear, he laughed, but it wasn't the worst thing he had ever encountered.

Just as he came to that conclusion he rounded a corner and almost ran into a tall thin being of an almost glowing yellow. The thing bent its long neck down and sniffed him head to toe. It then made a soft purring sound and bumped his chest with its head. Not quite sure what the appropriate response was to that David reached out and gave the top of its head a little pat.

This seemed to be the right action because the thing positively glowed with pleasure, emitting a light that hurt his eyes, and bumped him in the chest again hard enough to almost knock him off his feet. This time David got a bit bolder and scritched the thing behind what he really hoped were its ears.

With that the thing dropped to the ground. David jumped back as it fell and started to apologise when he realised it had now presented its belly to him for further scratching. He looked around the room wondering if he was on some alien version of "Candid Camera". 

The thing continued to glance up from the floor at him, its eyes wide and beseeching. With a shrug he knelt down beside it and using both hands lightly scratched its stomach. The thing writhed and purred even louder as he did so.

"You seem to have made a friend," a voice intoned behind him.

David looked up to see a man with a rather impressive beard and a long purple robe watching him. He got to his feet and dusted off his jeans, "sorry he, um? She? It? Seemed to be lonely."

"That's a she," the man smiled, "and she's supposed to be guarding this entrance. I've never seen her act like that before, let alone with a complete stranger."

The thing purred again, this time fastening her eyes on the stranger, "get up you hussy," he laughed, nudging her with his boot tip. The thing rose to its full height then gently licked David's hands and went back to her post.

The man regarded David with a grin on his face, "I am Frendu."

"I'm David, nice to meet you," David looked around the area, "do you live here?"

Frendu's smile widened, "you could say that. I'm the ruler of Oskerion. This is my kingdom."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know, " David quickly apologised, "I'm new here."

"Yes, I know," the other nodded, and pulled out a long piece of yellow paper and a writing instrument from the pocket of his long robe. Then he placed a check mark on the list and folded it back up.

As soon as Frendu pulled out the piece of paper David's heart sank. It was identical to the one The Doctor had snatched from the armour clad beast back on the space station. 

Frendu could see the realisation hit David too, he held out his hand, "come with me," he commanded, "I hope I will not have to use force, I like you and would hate to have to hurt you."

"I would hate for you to have to hurt me too," David shot back as Frendu slapped one end of a pair of handcuffs on his wrist and placed the other around his own arm. As David walked beside the other man he feverently hoped The Doctor was not far behind.


	7. Chapter 7

Violet slid down behind her husband, putting her legs and arms through the bars to wrap herself around him, "I've missed you," she sighed as she pulled him close.

"I missed you too," he smiled leaning back into her embrace, "but I was really hoping that I'd be home and you wouldn't be here next time we met."

"Isn't that touching?" The Master sneered, "makes me all teary eyed!"

Violet looked across John's cell into the next, "who invited him to the party?" she joked.

"I don't want to be here any more than you want me here," The Master snorted.

John tilted his head back and looked over at Violet, then back at the Time Lord, "I think I speak for us both when I say that we'd rather you were here and we were not."

Violet nodded against John's shoulder, "got that right," she laughed, "but what's with the neighbours? Aside from the three of us being somehow linked to The Doctor, I don't see what the rest have in common."

"It certainly can't be based on looks or good taste," The Master offered.

"Right, cos you're ugly as sin and a complete knob," Violet shot back.

That provoked another snort from The Master and a laugh from John. She joined in, amused at her own cleverness and squeezed John a bit tighter around the ribs. She stopped laughing as he drew in a quick breath, almost a gasp as she hugged him, "are you all right?" she asked with a frown on her face.

John nodded, not quite able to catch his breath at first, then after a bit replied, "our hosts do seem to like their little torture sessions."

Violet ran her hands down his side, around to his chest and then touched his broken arm lightly, all the while her breathing grew quicker as her fingers discovered each new injury.

"Those bastards!" Violet stood up abruptly and started pacing in her cell, "if I get my hands on them a little love nip will be the least of their worries."

"I can see who wears the trousers in this relationship," The Master shifted in his restraints with a grin.

Violet stopped pacing and shot him a dirty look but said nothing.

"We both do," John offered, then his face broke out in a devilish grin, "but it's better when neither of us is wearing anything at all."

"I will try to not let that image burn in my mind's eye for the rest of my life," The Master grumbled.

\---

As they walked along Frendu seemed to forget that David was his prisoner and was giving him a guided tour, "and over here is the first farmer's market on Oskerion. In the beginning it was all goods grown or made on other planets but once our agriculture and crafts started to develop it turned over to all local items."

Frendu stopped abruptly, and the two armed escorts almost ran him over as a result. They hastily stepped back muttering apologies until he held up his hand to silence them. Then he turned back to David, "do you like cornite melons?"

"I've never heard of that, so I'm not sure," David replied. He was still a bit puzzled by Frendu's behaviour, but decided to play along.

"You must try one!" Frendu insisted and set off towards one of the stalls in the market, "they taste like a cross between the Earth fruits of peaches, watermelons and I believe they're called gripes?"

"Grapes."

"Yes, grapes! Thank you," Frendu gave a slight bow in David's direction, then picking up one of the melons barked a command at the seller. The seller took it from him, quickly diced it and handed back on a plate with two long wooden skewers placed in the middle.

Frendu offered the plate to David, then noting the other's hesitation he picked up one of the skewers, stabbed a piece of the melon and popped it into his mouth. "It's safe," he assured the actor, "not poisoned or drugged, I promise you."

David followed suit and took a bite of the fruit with Frendu watching him expectantly. It was a bit odd, the texture was more like rotten onions than melon but there definitely was a hint of peaches and other fruits, "it's very good," he said after he swallowed the mouthful. 

This earned him a hearty laugh and a friendly pat on the back, "I like you more and more!" Frendu pronounced, taking another bite of the fruit. He insisted David eat a few more pieces before polishing off the rest of the plate and tossing it back at the vendor. Then Frendu gave a loud belch and they set off again.

After a bit more sight-seeing they came to a very ornate door way guarded by two more of the tall thin yellow creatures. First one, then the other nudged David softly, purring and emitting a bright glowing light as he petted them with his free hand. 

Frendu shook his head slowly, "these creatures are guard animals because they are vicious!"

"They seem nice enough to me," David replied as one of them dropped at his feet offering its belly to be scratched, and was soon joined by its mate. 

"Watch this," Frendu then gestured for one of the armed guards to step forward. As soon as the guard got in front of them the creatures leapt up and growled, hackles raised and teeth bared. One of them swiped a claw at the guard almost cutting through his armour.

"Approach them again," Frendu instructed David. As soon as the actor got close to them the beasts repeated the nudging, glowing and purring. He shrugged and scratched them behind their ears, each one in turn.

Frendu observed this all with a puzzled expression, "they should have ripped your throat out for even attempting to touch them, they have done in the past."

David had a hard time imagining the beast that almost knocking him off his feet as it rubbed up against his legs, attacking anyone, "if you insist," he replied as the other one started to lick his hand with its long sticky tongue.

"No matter," Frendu gestured at the door, "let us go inside."

As David stepped over the creatures as they set up a howl of protest. "Be quiet!" Frendu snapped, "or I'll have you turned into hides for my throne!"

The door opened to reveal a rather lush and ornate throne room, once inside Frendu reached down and unlocked the cuff from David's wrist and then removed it from his own and tossed it at one of the guards. 

"Wow," David gasped, as he took in the red velvet curtains with gold ropes, the carved stone throne and the bejewelled walls, "this is amazing." 

"It's not much," Frendu laughed, "but it's home." Then he made for a side door, "I need to take care of a few things and then I'll be back. There's some fruit and drink in that cupboard there, help yourself."

The guards positioned themselves at each door watching David carefully as he walked around the room looking at the opulence in awe. Then, with a sigh, he sat down on one of the cushions wondering what the hell was going on and what was going to happen next


	8. Chapter 8

Frendu stepped into the antechamber and pulled out a communications device from the pocket of his robe, "yes, I have them all now but there is a problem. No, they are all alive...it's not that. The problem is that one of them seems to have a gift."

He turned back towards the door and opened a peep hole and looked out into the throne room, "no I'm not stalling! And yes I know what the terms of our agreement are, but he appears to fulfil an ancient prophecy. He tames the Cheaugha by his mere presence and our scriptures have told of this."

"Now don't be like that!" Frendu scolded into the communication device, "if he doesn't pass the four tests then you can have him. But until then he must stay with me."

Then he pulled the device at arm's length and scowled at it, "I deserve at least some credit for gathering the others, " he growled and then putting the device back up to his ear, "you can come get the rest now or wait until the priests have passed judgement and possibly get them all."

With that he snapped the device off, and flung it across the room with a roar that was equal parts rage and impotent frustration.  
\-----

Violet sat down on the floor of her cell and started to empty out her pockets, looking for something that would be useful in getting them out of there. John watched her with a half smile as she pulled several tubes of various colours of lip gloss, some hair bands and a comb and laid them all on the ground in front of her.

The Master had been watching too, "now if any of the guards need a make over, we're all set."

"You could use a bit of colour, " John laughed and picked up one of the tubes of lip gloss and acted like he was going to apply some to The Master's lips.

"I wouldn't do that," The Master hissed.

"Did you have your sense of humour surgically removed as a child?" John asked with an impish grin on his face.

"There is nothing to be amused about," The Master grumbled, "I'm trussed up like a mongrel dog, you're in no shape to do anything useful and your woman is trying to make a weapon out of cosmetics!"

"At least she's doing something instead of belly aching," John shot back. Then he went quiet as the sound of boot steps came down the hall. 

Violet quickly scooped up her bounty and shoved the objects back into her pocket but John just stood there holding the tube of lip gloss. The Master wondered briefly if he had frozen to the spot in fear. That was soon dismissed when one of the guards stopped right in front of John's cell and demanded to know what he was doing with contraband. 

"Making myself pretty for you," he smiled and uncapping the tube put on a layer of the baby pink lip gloss sloppily on his mouth.

The guard didn't see the humour and swung a truncheon towards him but he moved out of reach before contact was made, "you're just lucky you weren't sent for this time," the guard snarled, "now give me that!" he reached a hand out.

John sighed theatrically and handed the lip gloss to him, "I don't think it's your shade, you seem more like a summer to me."

The guard ignored him and he, along with his two comrades, stomped over to The Master's cell. In a flash they opened the door, unlocked the cuffs and hauled The Master to his feet. As the guards escorted The Master down the hallway John watched in silence with a concerned frown on his face. Violet stood up and reaching through the bars grasped John's hand.

"What's at the end of the hallway?" she asked.

"The interrogation room," John tightened his grip on her hand, "poor sod, I hope they go easy on him."

\----

The Doctor, meanwhile, was having a bit of trouble following up on his plan. He had given himself the fifteen minutes he had mentioned to David and then tried to trail the actor into the city. But as soon as he reached the bottom the stairs he was cornered by a Cheaugha. The very menacing tall yellow creature seemed to have more than its allotment of teeth and claws and was none too pleased to see him.

He tried reasoning with it, even resorted to speaking its own language to it, but the only response he got was when it picked him off of his feet and pinned him to the wall. Its sharp claws digging into his neck, not quite squeezing him but holding him firmly in place with a low growl. He was still dangling there when an official came to see what all the racket was about. 

"What seems to be the trouble?" the official asked casually.

"Well....aside from not touching the ground and having the remains of whatever this thing last ate blown in my face," then he turned to the beast, "in my left front coat pocket are some Venusian mints, help yourself..." 

Then turning back to the official he continued, "I appear to lack the proper credentials to get into the city."

The official regarded him for a few moments then asked, "are you here on business or pleasure?"

"A bit of both really," The Doctor replied, "I was here for the Winter Festival a while back and decided to take my summer holidays here. Plus I need to pick up some odds and ends while I'm visiting."

This seemed to mollify the official and he demanded the beast realise the Time Lord. Then he put his arm around the other's thin shoulders, "if you are looking for the best deals, you must visit my booth at the market, I have only the highest quality merchandise. Are you interested in furs? Or slaves? Or a temporary companion for the night? My brother's booth carries the more exotic..."

The Doctor bit back his anger at hearing the reference to slave trade, instead plastered a fake smile on his face, allowing himself to be led into the market place. All the while promising himself that he would take care of that too, in due time.

\-------

Frendu stood leaning against the wall of the anteroom. Of course he knew what would happen if he defied the collector for too long. He closed his eyes and pictured his daughter, the horror on her face as she knew for once her father was powerless and unable to stop them from carting her off. The days of anxiety before the ransom demands were revealed were some of the worst hours of his life.

And now, the whole process had become even more complicated. 

He decided to call the priests together that very day and get the process of examination under way. Part of him really hoped David was the Chosen One, because despite himself he had come to like the child like innocence and wonder he sensed in him. It would be a shame to have such a being locked away in a museum.


	9. Chapter 9

As much as he didn't want to admit it, The Doctor was worried. The homing device he had given David was not able to transmit in the heart of the main habitat. Something was blocking the signal. After finally shedding the Oskerion official he retreated to a dark corner of the market place and tried to pick up something, anything on the sonic screwdriver, but with no success. 

Without knowing where David was, he was not going to be able to find The Master either, and as much as it pained him at times, the other Time Lord was his responsibility. The Doctor rubbed his eyes in frustration. It really shouldn't be this hard to find his two travelling companions, they would definitely stick out. 

Just as he had decided to take a walk around the centre of the city and keep his ears open for gossip a black armour clad guard came up to him and grabbed his arm, "I don't know how you escaped," the man growled at him, "but Frendu will not be pleased." The guard's twin grabbed his other arm.

"Escaped?" The Doctor asked, "escaped from where?"

"No use playing innocent, and your clothes are not much of a disguise. Which rag picker did you steal those from?" one of the guards sneered, as he flicked the collar of The Doctor's suit with disdain.

"Rag picker?" The Doctor's eyebrow arched, "I'll have you know I had custom made this made back in the 1940s but due to some error of measurement on the tailor's part, I think he had been up the night before drinking heavily, I had to go through a few regenerations before it really fit..."

"Shut up!" one of the guards barked at him, "we're taking you back now. You can come along peacefully or," he removed a rather menacing device from his belt, "you can let us have some fun first."

The Doctor quickly identified the weapon as a plasma stun gun, having had a close encounter with one in the past he put his hands up, "peacefully works for me."

The guards walked in silence until they reached the throne room, the Cheaughas standing watch at the door bared their teeth and growled low in their throats as they approached.

One of the armour clad escorts pulled a small device out of his breast pocket and clicked it once, causing the Cheaughas to flinch back and step aside to allow the guards to ring the bell.   
After a bit the doors swung open and The Doctor was shoved into the throne room. Then two more armour clad guards pulled him into the room and then retook their places at the exits.

Once the guards had a good look at the Time Lord, they did a double take, one of them spoke, "how can you be here, when you are also over there?" he pointed at David.

"It's a long story," The Doctor replied.

David was just as surprised to see The Doctor as the guards were, "you sure took long enough!" he smiled getting to his feet.

"Posh digs," The Doctor laughed, "I didn't expect to find you in the lap of luxury," he picked up a banana from the fruit bowl and peeled it.

"It's been pretty weird," David explained, "one second I was in handcuffs and being taken prisoner, the next I was being given a grand tour of the market place and other local areas of interest. I'm not exactly sure why."

"How did you get past the Cheaugha?" The Doctor asked around a mouthful of banana.

"What's a Cheaugha?"

"Those big um, yellow thingies. Lots of sharp teeth, bad breath, lousy attitudes and very sharp claws," The Doctor mimed the last bit with his free hand.

"As long as I scratched their bellies, they seemed to be content," David replied.

The Doctor regarded the actor with a puzzled expression, "come again?"

"I have to admit they seemed sort of scary at first..."

"You're lucky they didn't rip your arms off and scratch their bellies with your disembodied hands," The Doctor took one last bite of the banana and looked around for a waste basket.

"Enough about that," David interrupted, "this may be posh but I'm still a captive, how are we going to get out of here?"

"Well...we have to figure out where they are keeping The Master," The Doctor picked up another banana,"once we do that I'll think of something."

"You don't have a plan?" 

The Doctor didn't answer until the second banana was done, "not as such, no. But I am sure I'll think of something," he laughed, then he offered the fruit bowl to David, "you really should try one, they grow some of the best bananas here."

\-------

Violet had fallen asleep, half leaning against the bars of her cell with John's arms wrapped around her shoulders and her arms entangled with his. Her husband was wide awake, waiting to hear the returning of the guards and, truth be told, a bit worried about The Master's fate.

About two hours after he was taken from his cell The Master returned. He was unconscious and not moving under his own power. The guards dragged him by his arms, unlocked the cell door and just dumped him in a heap inside. 

John extracted himself from Violet's embrace and knelt down reaching through the bars to gently shake The Master's still form, trying to wake him, with no success. 

After some manoeuvring he was able to roll the unconscious Time Lord onto his back. He winced in sympathy as the bruises on the other's face came into the light. The Master's lip was split and the dried blood had run down his neck. 

Getting to his feet John pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wet it from the small bottle of water that he had saved from his dinner. Then kneeling back down he was able to wipe the dried blood from The Master's face and neck and clean up some of the other wounds.

The whole time John was ministering to The Master's injuries the Time Lord seemed completely unresponsive. It wasn't until John retook his position holding Violet through the bars that he heard a raspy, "thank you," come from The Master's lips.

"It's nothing," John replied not looking at him.

"Why would you do that? Why do you even care?" The Master sighed.

"Don't make a big deal out of it," John shot back.

"This doesn't mean we're friends," The Master gasped out as he coughed painfully, "it's not like the mouse pulling a thorn from the lion's paw. I still think you're a mistake."

"I know."

The Master closed his eyes again, and John strained to hear the soft sound of his breathing before allowing himself to relax and join his wife in slumber.


	10. Chapter 10

David watched The Doctor prowl around the throne room, lightly touching some walls and tapping on others, and even licking one panel. That last action prompted him to ask, "so what did that taste like?"

The Doctor rolled his tongue around his mouth pensively, "old wax and dust, mostly," then he reached for another banana, "this should clear it."

"The game plan is to just wait then?" David wondered.

"Yup," The Doctor replied, taking a bite of the fruit.

David sighed, "I hate waiting."

It turns out that they didn't have to wait long.

Frendu burst into the room moments later, trailed by two men in rather elaborate robes and tall, ornate shiny metal hats. He stopped abruptly when he saw The Doctor, the two followers almost running him down in the process.

"How did you get in here?" he demanded of the Time Lord.

"I was walking in the market place, shopping, minding my own business, when two of your guards grabbed me and shoved me in here," The Doctor replied.

"That was a mistake," Frendu opened the door, "you are free to go."

The Doctor didn't move, "no chance. Go without David or my friend? Ha! You have my fellow Time Lord hidden away somewhere and until I get him back, I'm not leaving."

Frendu tried staring down The Doctor but after a few minutes looked away, "I can't release him or the others. Please believe me I have my reasons."

"Others?" both David and The Doctor asked.

"That is unsettling. Do you do that often?" Frendu looked from one to the other with a frown.

"Never mind that," The Doctor shot back, "who are these others?"

The two men that came into the room with Frendu stepped forward, and one of them spoke, "my liege, pardon the interruption, but the Chosen One's testing must begin soon."

Frendu looked from them to The Doctor, then over at David, "yes, of course." Then he signalled for the guards.

"Who is the Chosen One?" The Doctor asked.

The guards rushed over and hauled David to his feet, "I think that would be me!" the actor exclaimed trying to free his arms from their grip.

"Chosen for what?" The Doctor's voice grew louder as two more guards held him back from trying to help David. When David was half lifted, half dragged towards the door he shouted, "let him go!"

Frendu leaned in close to the struggling Time Lord, "they won't hurt him. I promise you."

"If they do I'll hold you personally responsible!" The Doctor hissed, "and trust me you do not want to make me mad."

As they got to the doorway David shifted in the guard's iron grip and planted his feet on either side of the frame. The guards tried pushing him through anyway and found it was impossible, so they hauled him down and tried again. This time he not only planted his feet once more but using the frame as leverage pushed hard and knocked his captors backwards. 

Taking advantage of them being off balance David twisted out of their grip. As soon as he was free he took off back towards The Doctor, as the guards gave chase. The whole time the priests were watching this in silence, one of them jotting down notes on a large tablet. 

As David went past the other priest, the cleric pulled something out of his robes and sprayed it into the actor's face. The effect was immediate. David stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes rolled back into his head and if it wasn't for the quick action on Frendu's part he would have hit the ground. 

Frendu gently laid the unconscious David on the floor, "take him away," he commanded and one of the guards bent down and scooped him up, tossing him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carried him out of the room.

The Doctor redoubled his efforts to go after David until he was also sprayed by one of the priests, the guards let go of him the minute he passed out and let him drop with a loud thud.   
\------

John's restless slumber was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of the guard's boots clomping down the hallway. Thinking they might be coming for Violet he snapped awake and quickly plotted out his strategy.

As they got closer his heart seemed to stop in his chest, being dragged down the corridor with his trainers scuffing the ground was The Doctor. The guards opened the cell next to The Master, tossed the limp Time Lord onto the floor and slammed the door shut again.

Violet twitched in her sleep as the door latched, and John flinched as The Doctor's head made contact with the cement. 

For what seemed like the thousandth time since he arrived, John wondered why they were all being gathered and what was their eventual fate. Now with The Doctor here, it seemed to be a complete set, but a complete set of what?


	11. Chapter 11

David's eyes fluttered open as he struggled to come awake. The first thing he noticed was that he was half laying half sitting on a rather large overstuffed chair. The next thing was that he had been stripped of most of his clothes save his vest and pants, which then led to the discovery that he was freezing.

He sat up slowly and tried to focus on not letting the vertigo he was feeling take hold. He felt like he was massively hung over with out the joy of having anything to drink before hand.

Just off to his left he saw a rack of robes, all various colours and materials. Some of the robes were quite ornate, covered in gold and silver threading, their collars ringed with stones or shells. David got to his feet and stumbled over to them.

He touched a few of them, admiring the softness of the silk or the slick touch of satin. After a bit he settled on a plain, undecorated, brown one made out of a soft velvet-like material. Having rejected the others as a bit too outlandish, he slipped it on. The robe fit him perfectly and he absently stroked his left sleeve with his right hand as he looked around the room for a door or a window or any means of escape. Finding none he decided to check out his surroundings.

Walking around the room he noticed a long table filled with objects that seemed to be completely random. There was a delicately carved comb, a perfectly round ball of what appeared to be marble, a large chalice filled with a sweet smelling wine and an apple. Even though he wasn't really hungry, he thought the apple might be good to set aside for later. David slipped it into his pocket and moved on.

The next thing he came to was even more perplexing. It was a large book shelf just one book on it sitting alone on the top most shelf. It was a very large and quite heavy book but with some manoeuvring he was able to get it down. He took it over the chair, positioned it on his lap and flipped through it with a smile on his face.

There appeared to be no text. It was just a picture book, filled with shots from space. Further into it was a section chronicling Oskerion itself, he guessed, considering a lot of this section featured the market place. 

It wasn't until he got to a series of pictures of how the Cheaughas were tamed, that he stopped smiling at the images. The photos showed whips and other devices being applied to quite obviously frightened and bewildered young Cheaughas. At that he shut the book and took it back to the shelf.

There was something else on the far end of the room that David could barely see, but the twinkling lights surrounding it were hard to ignore. Figuring he had nothing else to do he walked over to it.

It was quite clearly an altar of sorts, he thought, as he approached it. The deity carved out of a dark wood was portrayed as tall and thin, wearing a robe very much like the one he had on, he mused. At the feet of the carving were offerings. 

One bowl was filled with gold, David glanced at it but wasn't terribly interested in the contents. The second bowl had sand in the bottom and several sticks of a smouldering smoky smelling incense burned within. The third bowl made him recoil, as it was filled to the brim with what appeared to be blood. Out of curiosity he dipped one finger into the bowl, pulled it out and held it up to the light. The bright red colour confirmed that it looked to be human or humanoid, he corrected himself. 

"Hopefully no one I know donated it," he thought aloud. Not having any place else to wipe it on, David used the side of the robe he was wearing and then he turned away from the altar and headed back to the chair, hoping that The Doctor and yes, even The Master were safe.

\-------

Unseen by David the two priest were watching his every move. The one priest with the light bottle green eyes watched the actor's moves with an eager smile on his face, that only grew with each test being successfully passed. The other priest's frown deepened in reaction to the same events.

After David had retaken his seat, the green eyed priest whooped with joy, until he finally noticed the expression on his fellow priest's face, "why so glum? He passed! He is the Chosen One!"

"The scriptures would seem to indicate the Chosen One is to be Oskerion in origin, not some mixed heritage outsider," he groused.

"Tell me where in the scripture it says anything about his birth?" the green eyed priest scoffed, "and, " he gestured towards the altar, "dressed in the robes of his own choosing, he is an exact match for the statue."

"We have two more beings that look like him in the holding cells now and you know it," came the reply.

"No doubt, but they do not have the power to tame the Cheaugha, you saw on that gift in action," the other countered, "now we must inform Frendu of our findings."

"Do you honestly believe he was sent to us to lead us from the dark?" the glum priest replied, his brow still furrowed.

"If we are deserving," the green eyed priest replied, "come, let us go."

\---

Frendu was torn on how to react to this news. He was happy that David had passed the tests, awed to have the Chosen One choose his reign to come back to his humble kingdom and saddened because this meant he may never see his daughter again. He dismissed the priests quickly and paced around the throne room, deep in thought.

Finally he snapped open his communication device, "we have a problem," he started in, not bothering with pleasantries, "the last of the collection is indeed the Chosen One. I cannot let you have him. It would be sacrilege and bring the wrath of the gods down on my kingdom. But I do have an even bigger prize to offer you in exchange." 

With that he turned to a bank of monitors and focused in on the still form of The Doctor, "I have the last two Time Lords in existence. The one you initially had on the list and the other one, the one they call The Doctor." 

Frendu's face lit up, "you've heard of him? Yes, I am sure it is The Doctor, I heard the Chosen One speak his name and I know where his space ship is. Would this be an agreeable substitute? No, no tricks, you can have them all, as long as you return my child to me, unharmed."

A sigh of relief escaped the ruler's lips, "it's a deal! I will make them ready."


	12. Chapter 12

David was about to doze off from a combination of the lingering effects of whatever had been used to knock him out and sheer boredom. As his eyes grew heavy a small panel in the wall opened and a very timid, small Cheaugha was shoved through by unseen hands. By its size alone David instantly knew it was a baby of the species.

The thing turned around and scratched at the closed panel making a whining noise of fright and confusion. As it reached up, David could see its ribs prominently displayed as it clawed at the wall.

"Hey there," David called to it, taking the apple out of his pocket, and holding it out to the beast, "you want something to eat?"

The Cheaugha blinked a few times at him but stopped its efforts to escape. It sniffed the air but didn't move from its spot. 

David took a small bite of the apple, crunching it loudly and making exaggerated chewing motions,"it's very tasty, sure you don't want some?"

The Cheaugha crouched low to the ground but slowly made its way to him, its nose twitching as the scent of the apple reached it. It got within a metre of him and stopped, "it's OK," the actor cooed softly, "you can have it."

The tone of his voice and the rumbling in its stomach seemed to convince the creature. It sidled up to David, reached out a claw and gently took the fruit from him, then skittered back out of his reach to devour it. It stopped within two bites of finishing it off and turned back to him, holding it out.

"No thanks, it's all yours," David laughed.

And the creature did. It finished the apple then sat back on its haunches and cleaned one, then the other claw thoroughly with its long tongue. After its absolutions were completed it cocked its head at David and regarded him unblinkingly.

"Sorry that was all I had."

The Cheaugha walked towards him, a soft purring sound rumbling deep in its throat. Then it slowly and carefully, seemingly mindful of its sharp claws, climbed into his lap. Once there rolled over on its back and squirmed delightedly as he began to scratch its belly.

This continued for a bit, David smiling and laughing at the Cheaugha's antics as it charmed him even more, and the creature's purrs of happiness growing ever louder, until it abruptly stopped. He could feel the beast stiffen up as it flipped back over and growled at a space on one wall.

A few seconds later the panel slid up and Frendu entered the room, followed closely by the two priests.

The Cheaugha got off of David's lap and pulling itself up to its full height hissed at the newest occupants of the room. 

"Call him off," Frendu barked at David, as the creature advanced menacingly, seeming to want to protect the actor from the ruler.

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"Use your gift!" 

"My what?" David shot back still confused.

"Your gift!" Frendu yelled, "quickly before it tears our throats out!"

"Well, here goes..." David shrugged, "come here boy," he cooed, "it's OK the bad men aren't going to hurt you.." The Cheaugha turned to look at the actor, still not giving his ground but at least he stopped hissing. 

"Make him retreat," Frendu commanded.

David walked up to the creature, picked him up and set him down on the chair, "stay!" he ordered, hoping that worked on glowing yellow beasts as well as dogs. It seemed to, the Cheaugha sat and made no further move of aggression.

"Now, " David turned back to the ruler, "how about telling me what's going on? Or I'll sic my little friend on you."

\--------  
The Doctor woke to his name being called out repeatedly and the sensation of things being bounced off of his head. He rolled over on his back and looked at the neighbouring cell just in time to see The Master wadding up another bit of paper with the intention of tossing it. Seeing his fellow Time Lord awake he hesitated before launching the paper anyway. 

"What do you have against my head?" The Doctor grumbled as the paper hit his forehead.

"Aside from your ugly face?" The Master laughed.

"Yes," The Doctor rolled his eyes and sat up, "aside from that."

"I hate to wake you out of your beauty sleep because Rassilon knows you need all the help you can get, but it appears we're being moved out."

The Doctor got to his feet and glanced down the row of cells, he could see guards escorting various creatures out in chains, all heading down to the end of the hallway. It wasn't until he looked past The Master and saw Violet standing there, holding hands with the meta-crisis that he got truly worried.

"What are they doing here?" he whispered to The Master.

"That's a question I've asked myself many times," John shot back, "and you really need to work on that your whispers are not in the least bit quiet."

"Sorry," The Doctor mumbled not quite looking at the other man. As he watched the parade of the other prisoners his mind was working over time, "what do we all have in common?"

"Well, two of you have the same hideous mug," The Master offered, "and two of us are Time Lords, he's half one and she is his mate...."

"They have David too," The Doctor interrupted.

John let go of Violet's hand and turned towards the Time Lords, "are you sure of that? I haven't seen him down here."

"That's the weird thing," The Doctor mused, "they have him in a really posh room, and are treating him more like a visiting dignitary. They kept using the phrase 'Chosen One'."

"Chosen for what?" John asked his voice very soft.

The Doctor finally met the other's eyes, "I don't know, but I have the feeling it's not good."


	13. Chapter 13

"We have to rescue him!" John shouted, pacing his cell like a caged tiger.

"How do you propose that?" The Master scoffed, "you haven't even managed to get your skinny butt out of here let alone anyone else's."

John shot him a dirty look but didn't reply, instead he took his wife's hand as the realisation hit her that their son was in danger.

Violet choked back her tears, "we purposely hid him away so that the universe wouldn't discover his identity, and here you go parading him out like a champion steed on display!" she yelled at The Doctor, "you just effectively undid all we set out to accomplish!"

The Doctor said nothing, instead he looked away from her and felt in his pockets, searching for something studiously.

"That's not entirely fair," John chided his wife, "he didn't make David go with him, he chose to. As much as we both want him to be safe, he is an adult, capable of making his own decisions!"

"I knew you'd side with him, you are two halves of the same whole!" Violet pulled away from his grasp violently, "Don't you see? We gave him up so this exact sort of thing wouldn't happen and now he's being held captive and being subjected to god knows what?" She moved to the furthest corner of her cell turned her back on them and sobbed uncontrollably. 

\-----  
What David was being subjected to was definitely not horrible, just massively confusing. The priests explained in a jumble, often times talking at once, about some ancient prophecy. And in between their ramblings, Frendu offered his take on the situation. 

Finally he held his hands up, "please! One at a time! You first," then he pointed at the green eyed priest.

The priest drew a deep breath, "the ancient texts speak of a demi-god, the Chosen One, he will be recognised by his ability to tame wild beasts with nothing more than his spirit. He is prophesied to come amongst us in corporeal form and lead us into the light."

"And you think that's me?" David asked.

"We know you are the Chosen one. You passed the four tests," the green eyed priest continued.

"I don't remember taking any tests?" David frowned as he tried to remember.

"You wouldn't have known you were being tested," Frendu offered, "if you have been informed it may have changed the results."

"The robe you're wearing shows you have humility, there were many more ornate robes available," the green eyed priest explained, "the gifts on the table, you had vanity in the form of the comb, a weapon in the stone ball, debauchery in the cup of wine and you chose the apple which is natural and clean and we saw you feed the beast instead of consuming it yourself so that adds selflessness to the mix."

"Your reaction to the book showed your compassion," the other priest cut in, "and the interest in the cup of blood instead of the gold or incense, may I ask why you chose to do that?"

"I was worried that it may have come from someone or some ones that I care about," David answered.

"Again, that is the prophecy, " the priest nodded at David's reply. 

"I hate to rain on your parade, but you've got this all wrong," David protested, "I'm nothing special and I'm certainly not your fabled Chosen One."

The priests started to protest but Frendu cut them off with his raised hand, "do you know why you were initially taken by me?"

"No."

"There is a very important and powerful being, a collector if you will. He is starting a museum of rare and exotic beings from all over the universe. Your name was on this collector's list because of your pedigree, " Frendu stopped noticing how that last sentence made David flinch, "you are aware of this, are you not?"

"I think so, but I am not ready to come to terms with it," David admitted, "so to sum up, I am destined to be a museum piece?"

"I think in Earth terms it's more like a zoo or habitat, but yes you were destined to be on display. The collector will charge admission and of course add more creatures as the popularity grows."

"Wait, you said 'were'?" 

"Yes," Frendu smiled, "now that you have been identified as the Chosen One, you are to remain here."

"What about my friends? The Doctor and The Master," he winced slightly at including the other Time Lord as a friend, but let it go, "can't you let them stay too?"

"No, your friends must go and none of the others can stay, it was only by the graces that I was able to convince the collector to spare you," Frendu shook his head sadly.

"You keep saying 'others'," David started, "how many others are you talking about?"

"Let's see, the two full blood Time Lords, the half blood and his mate and..."

David's heart felt like it fell to the floor at Frendu's words, "the half blood? You mean you have John and Violet?"

"I thought there were more respectful terms for ones' parents on your home planet," Frendu frowned.

"Never mind that!" David waved him off impatiently, "you have them all and you're just going to sell them off to this collector?"

"It's not like that. He has my daughter, my only child and this is her ransom. I've worked for one of your Earth years, sent out countless scouts to get all that he demanded, and until I give him what he wants her life is in danger."

David took a deep breath, "quite a dilemma, I certainly don't want harm to come to your daughter but at the same time..I can't condone what you're doing to my friends."

"I understand, but there really isn't anything you can do about it."

With that Frendu turned and left David alone with the two priests. They smiled at him, "now, Chosen One, it's time to meet your worshipers!"


	14. Chapter 14

"Worshipers?" David turned pale, "I decline this Chosen One gig! Forget it I'm out of here!" and with that he made for the door, only to find that his way was blocked by the guards. He stopped with a groan of despair.

The green eyed priest caught up with him, "I know this is daunting but this is a divine gift you have and you are destined to lead us out of the darkness."

"What does that even mean?"

"That's for you to decide," came the reply.

"How do you expect me to do that?" David sighed, "I know absolutely nothing about you."

"The scriptures speak of this," the other priest finally spoke up, "there will be a period of contemplation by the Chosen One, thrice he will deny his divinity, and then he will lead us into the light."

"How many denials do I have left? "

The two priests moved until they were standing in front of David, first one then the other bowed deeply, "please come with us, the news has spread throughout the kingdom and your people are anxious to see their saviour."

Hoping he was just having a very odd, and truth be told very vivid, nightmare David pinched his left arm hard. The priests glanced at him in puzzlement but then quickly copied his actions on their own arms. 

"Why did you do that?" David asked as they both winced in pain.

"Because you did," they replied in unison.

"Right..." 

The priests signalled for the guards to open the door, just as they made to leave David heard a pathetic whimpering sound. The forgotten baby Cheaugha regarded him with big sad eyes from the chair still obeying the command to stay, but looking anxious at the thought of being left behind.

"Come on boy!" David called and the Cheaugha hopped off the chair and bounded over to him. 

The priests gasped and the guards stepped back out of reach of the beast's claws, just in case. But the Cheaugha ignored them aside from a quick low growl, instead he nuzzled David's hand and purred softly. 

The green eyed priest smiled knowingly, "and you claim not to be the Chosen One," then he gestured for David to go in front of them. The Cheaugha took his place at the actor's side with a warning hiss at the rest of the party, as if to protect his new found friend.

\-------

Frendu went down to the holding cells to supervise the moving out of the collection himself. He was conflicted as he watched the cells being emptied out and the creatures being loaded into the waiting ship. He really didn't believe in slavery or trafficking in sentient beings but this was a very special case.

Then there was the joyful anticipation of seeing his daughter after a long time. He offered a quick prayer to the gods, silently, that she was unharmed and would return to him the same sweet child she was before. He closed his eyes picturing her with his late Queen. The girl was the spitting image of her mother, and all he had left of those wonderful times.

He turned away quickly as one of the beings being loaded onto the ship put up some resistance, the guards quickly applied a blast of the plasma stun gun and the small blue beast went rigid and gave off a howl so loud that he had to block his ears with his hands to prevent permanent damage to his hearing.

By Frendu's own order the last to be packed up were to be the ones that were dear to the Chosen One's heart. He knew deep down, in the very fibre of his being, that they would be somehow saved from their fate by the Chosen One. He was not sure how, or when or if the Chosen One would accept his divinity by the time it came to load them onto the ship, but he knew that he must give them that chance.

At that Frendu left the holding cells and made his way up into the main square of Oskerion with a spring of excitement in his step. How honoured was he to have the Chosen One come to them during his reign? He shook his head in wonder and smiled. 

And very soon the Chosen One would address his people and the redemption would begin!

\-------

The Doctor watched as the cell block was emptied out, as well. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to the order that the others were taken out in. At first he thought it going by size but then the next logical grouping would have been the human and Time Lords and the variations there of. Yet they were skipped over to get to the mechanical beings, and he was perplexed.

Unable to keep silent any longer he spoke his thoughts aloud, "why aren't they taking us?"

The Master, who had been feigning disinterest the entire time, pretended to not hear him.

Violet was still sulking in the corner of her cell and chose not to acknowledge him. 

It wasn't until John replied, "I've been wondering that myself," that The Doctor realised that they were both standing in almost the very same position, long arms draped over the bars, one foot on the rail. It was also quite likely that they were thinking the exact same thoughts.

The idea of that sent a shiver down his spine but he chose to press on, "there's something influencing their choices," The Doctor continued.

"Maybe it's divine intervention," The Master snorted.

John and The Doctor were silent for a moment, and then at the exact same time blurted out, "divine intervention!"

"I really wish you would stop doing that," The Master grumbled, "it's creepy."

"Of course!" The Doctor smacked the back of his head with one hand, "I've been so stupid! The Chosen One…"

John grinned, "may his name be praised!"


	15. Chapter 15

"Should I even ask what you two are going on about?" The Master sneered, "or would it make my head hurt more?"

"You already said it, 'divine intervention'!" The Doctor laughed, "the King, what's his name, is convinced David is the Chosen One..."

"So he's insane, got it," The Master interrupted, "he's certainly not the first or the last mad man who has gained power."

"Takes one to know one," John mumbled not quite under his breath.

The Master shot him a dirty look but made no comment, "but I still don't see what's that's got to do with anything."

"Sometimes you are the most bone headedly stupid thing in the known universe," The Doctor shook his head, "let me spell it out. If this ruler believes, right or wrong, doesn't matter, that David is somehow a god or an incarnation of a god in human form, or whatever, then he probably would rather not risk angering him." 

"Why doesn't this ruler just set us free then?" John asked.

"I overheard something about a ransom," The Doctor replied, "and I think we're the payment. I wasn't on the original list," he pulled the copy he had out of his pocket studying it again. Then he folded it back up, "I believe I am a last minute substitute because the King couldn't or wouldn't allow them to take David."

"Even total strangers don't want you," The Master laughed.

The Doctor waved his hand at The Master dismissively, "the point is that even though this ruler has a deal with someone or something or what have you, I am convinced he is secretly hoping he'll be given an out by the Chosen One."

"Even if that's true," The Master protested, "what makes you think that mongrel..." he caught a warning glare from John, took a deep breath and moved out of his reach, "I mean what makes you think David will know what to do with this power in time to get us out of here?"

"He's very intelligent," Violet stepped out of the shadows, "and he cares about us. Once he gets past the initial shock I know he will come up with something." 

Then she reached through the bars and took John's hand in hers with a smile, "you just wait, and see."  
\------

The priests leading David to the town square kept glancing over their shoulders worriedly. As soon as they stepped out of the palace they began to feel the impact of the Chosen One's gift. Each Cheaugha they passed abandon its post, and followed them as they made their way along. The beasts seemed transfixed by the Chosen One's presence, become docile and even sweet tempered in his wake.

One guard mistaking this new behaviour as friendliness towards all reached out to touch one of the creatures and nearly lost his arm in the process. Luckily the medics were not far behind and carted him off.

The sound of the Cheaugha's purring was getting deafening, making it hard to think straight. The jostling and growling as they fought for placement because they all wanted to get close to the Chosen One was making most everyone increasingly nervous. 

Everyone, except of course, the Chosen One. His reaction to each new Cheaugha's presence was to pet them absently or scritch them behind their ears but his mind was clearly elsewhere. Even the small Cheaugha's antics failed to get his complete attention. 

The green eyed priest tried to move closer to David but found the phalanx of Cheaughas hard to get past and he was ringed on all sides now by the glowing yellow beasts. 

Suddenly the priest struck with the unwanted thought that if the Chosen One commanded the half feral creatures to turn on them they would without hesitation. He quickly searched his memory for the particulars of past incarnations of the Chosen One. Had any been prone to evil deeds? 

As if sharing his anxieties the other priest also regarded the Chosen One with a frown of concentration and puzzlement. The green eyed priest shook his head, clearing the sacrilegious thoughts from his mind; the Chosen One was there to lead them to salvation not damnation! He begged the gods for forgiveness for his moment of weakness, and vowed to not let his faith waver again.

\------

Frendu watched them approach awash by a seeming tidal wave of yellow. The glow the creatures gave off intensified the closer they got to the Chosen one, the light was illuminating the square. Even the darkest corners, ones that hadn't seen anything but shadows for aeons, were now lit up like a sun had somehow made its way underground. He held his hand up, shading his eyes unused to the brightness as he, like most of his subjects, spent very little time on the surface of the planet.

Then it struck him, the scriptures said the Chosen One would lead them out of the darkness, and into the light. Was this the ancient prophecy, or was he being too literal? Closing his eyes Frendu fervently hoped there was more to the sacred words and that the illumination provided by the glowing beasts was not all they were going to receive.


	16. Chapter 16

The Master looked around the cell block and noticed that save the four of them, the entire area was abandoned. He motioned for The Doctor to come close, "we are all alone, get out that sonic thing and get us out of here."

"Yeah..." The Doctor replied, then after a long pause he continued, "there's a slight problem with that..."

"And that would be?" The Master prompted.

"I seemed to have left it in the TARDIS," The Doctor reluctantly admitted.

"You what?" The Master snapped, "what sort of drooling moron are you? You never carry anything like a weapon and the one useful thing you do have you left behind?"

"I was fixing a loose connection on it. Funny thing is; I thought I had it with me," The Doctor explained, "but I brought this instead," he fished a soldering iron out of his coat pocket.

The Master rolled his eyes, "unless you can convince a guard to stand still while you solder his gun to his armour, that isn't going to help."

"That wouldn't work really, I didn't bring any solder with me."

"I meant that as sarcasm!" The Master threw up his hands, "you are hopeless. I swear which each regeneration you become more and more infuriating!"

John watched this exchange like he was in the front row at a Wimbledon. He waited until The Master turned his back, pouting, before speaking, "if you two are done with your little lover's quarrel I think there's something you should know...."

The Master snorted at his words and The Doctor arched his brow before looking at the screen John was pointing to. The monitor just outside John's cell was broadcasting a scene from the main square of Oskerion. It appeared the entire population had gathered, and they were whipped into a frenzy. 

The Doctor put on his glasses and leaned as far forward as the bars allowed. The first thing he noticed was the bright glow coming from the edges of the crowd, it took him a moment to realise that it was coming from a ring of Cheaughas that was quickly forming around the gathered citizens.

Then the camera panned to the balcony overlooking the square and four figures stepped out of the shadows into the light. The Doctor and John watched as one of these figures was led to a podium reluctantly. When the camera focused on a tall thin man wearing a long brown robe, Violet gave a startled squeak at the same time they gasped. 

\---------

David was gently prodded to step forward by the priests, he turned to them "I have no idea what I'm supposed to say!"

The green eyed priest stole a glance at Frendu then to his fellow clergy before offering, "say whatever you feel is appropriate."

"Thanks," David sighed, "you're no help." With that he stepped up to the podium, and looked out on the sea of expectant faces. A hush fell over the crowd as the artificial light illuminated him. For one of the first times in recent memory David couldn't think of anything to say, instead he just raised one hand and waved.

The assembled masses quickly raised their hands and with somewhat puzzled looks but not wanting to offend the Chosen One by not returning his greeting, awkwardly waved back. David glanced back at the priests and Frendu, "guess you don't do that here, huh?" 

David was saved from having to come up with and give an acceptance speech by a loud grinding noise that was accompanied by a high pitched whine and a puff of smoke. The crowd parted as a small craft landed in the middle of the square, the noise of confusion and dismay coming from the citizens of Oskerion only adding to the din.

As the door opened Frendu grabbed David's arm, "you need to get out of here now!" he exclaimed trying to pull the actor back into the building.

David didn't budge, "who is that?" he asked as a man dressed in a very ornate black and red robe stepped out of the ship.

"That is the collector," Frendu spat between gritted teeth,"I don't know what he's doing here but this isn't a social visit."

David watched the imposing man push his way to the front of the crowd, the collector then looked up at the balcony, "we had a deal!" he yelled at them.

Frendu looked down at him with a fake smile plastered on his face, "I am honouring this deal still, we just didn't have the manpower to load the rest of the collection, we had to protect the Chosen One as he met his supplicants."

The small Cheaugha at David's side raised himself up to his full height and growled low in his throat at the collector. David glanced at the glowing yellow beast, and then for the first time he realised that the rest of the Cheaughas were now gathered in an almost perfect phalanx at the edges of the square. 

Frendu saw the light of realisation hit David and he smiled with relief, "please, please" he half prayed half mumbled, "please save us Chosen One."

Those gathered at the outside edges of the crowd noticed the change in the glowing yellow beast's countenance first. The Cheaughas had been standing quietly almost docile until as one they rose up claws extended and pushed their way into the sea of bodies. Anyone who did not get out of the way fast enough were either ploughed into or head-butted out of the way as they homed in on a central point with a single minded focus.

The collector didn't see them at first. It wasn't until they circled in on him ever closer and he suddenly found his steely stare at the balcony was blocked by a wall of yellow light. He spun around to see only eyes that glared, claws that were poised to tear into his flesh and the sound of growling coming from every throat.

He looked back up at the balcony, over the shoulder of the beast in front of him and saw a small Cheaugha perched on the very edge just above his head, its teeth bared ready to drop on him at a moment's notice. And behind this vicious little beast a thin man in a brown robe stood, arms held high, head thrown back and eyes tightly closed, seemed to be controlling the creatures.

The collector's mind whirled, even if he could somehow make it out of this circle, he knew the Cheaughas would give chase and shred him to bits before he could get to his ship. He bowed his head in defeat. Then he straightened, holding his hands up in supplication, "surely, great and merciful Chosen One, we can come to some understanding?" 

The green eyed priest gave a unholy whoop of joy at seeing the prophecy fulfilled, and Frendu grinned ear to ear, "I think you know what you must do..." the ruler called down over the balcony, "and I think it would be unwise to keep the Chosen One waiting."


	17. Chapter 17

Due to the chaos the live camera feed went dead the moment the Cheaughas stormed the square. When the monitor went to static the occupants of the cell block fell completely quiet. Violet was the first to break the silence, "I'm sure he's fine, the beasts were in the square not up on the balcony."

John wasn't looking convinced but didn't want to crush her hopes, "of course he is..." he nodded but his eyes never wandered from the blank screen.

"If he isn't you could just make another one..." The Master offered. Then noticing the shock and dismay on the couple's faces he smiled broadly, knowing he had scored a point and feeling quite proud of himself.

"Be quiet!" The Doctor reached through the bars and in a very out of character move smacked The Master on the back of the head sharply, "I know you are capable of acting like a more passable excuse for a sentient being!"

The Master looked shocked at first then feigning disinterest walked out of The Doctor's reach, and pretended to be fascinated by something on the far wall.

Another hush descended as each of them got lost in their own thoughts.

Moments later the distinct sound of the guard's boot steps could be heard clomping down the hall, The Doctor steeled himself, ready to take on their captors and prevent everyone from being carted off to the waiting ship.

Luckily that didn't happen, in front of the guards was Frendu, holding the hand of a small girl with long ginger hair and a bright smile. Frendu unlocked Violet's cell first, then proceeded down the line until each door swung open.

Not quite sure what to make of this turn of events, no one stirred. Frendu picked gestured at the hallway, "you're all free to go!" he laughed.

"I don't understand," The Doctor replied, "is this some sort of game?"

Frendu picked up the little girl, "no, no game. You are free to go, my daughter is safe, all the creatures are being returned to their home planets..."

"Why?" 

"Don't argue with the man," Violet laughed pulling the Time Lord's sleeve, "just get us out of here!"

"What about David?" John asked.

"The Chosen One set you free, he commanded the Cheaughas and they surrounded the collector and he was forced to choose between his ransom or his life. He chose wisely!" Frendu hugged the little girl and she kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"Can we see him?" Violet asked.

"Of course, come with me!" Frendu turned and started to walk out of the cell block. The others followed him, still very confused but also a quite relieved to be free.

They were led, through a series of underground tunnels to the throne room, and then once inside they saw David sitting on the floor playing fetch with the baby Cheaugha.

"We're fine, thanks for asking," The Master sneered.

Violet ran over to David and threw her arms around him, "are you OK?"

"Yes, thanks," he replied getting to his feet, "nice to see you again..."

The Doctor eyed the small Cheaugha warily as it sniffed his trainers, then the creature licked his hand warily and went over to John and repeated the same action. 

"I think we have him confused now," The Doctor smiled as the Cheaugha sat down on his haunches and kept looking at the three of them.

"Tell me about it," The Master snorted.

"You can't take him with us," The Doctor informed the actor, "the TARDIS isn't pet friendly and I doubt he's litter trained."

"I can't leave him here either," David replied, "they aren't treated very kindly and he's too young to be on his own."

Frendu frowned, "you cannot leave! You have so much more you can teach us, we've waited so long for you to return."

"I've said all along I am not the Chosen One, it's all been a misunderstanding!" David exclaimed, "I don't belong here I have a life on a different planet and I can't stay."

"How will I explain this to your worshippers?" Frendu paced the throne room, "the priests?"

The Doctor walked over to the ruler, "you can say he's in meditation or advising the priests the temples and I can bring him back once in a while if you need him."

"You'd do that?" Frendu stopped his pacing.

"Under one condition," The Doctor replied, "the Cheaughas, you need to treat them better, if we come back and find they are being whipped and beaten instead of being honoured pets, well I can't promise that the Chosen One will look kindly on that." He shot a meaningful glance at David who nodded in agreement.

Just then Frendu's daughter reached the baby Cheaugha, everyone in the room held their breath as she approached the creature arms spread wide, "please be gentle!" David whispered and the beast let the little girl circle him with her arms and gave a soft purr as she stroked his head.

\--------

After the TARDIS took off from Oskerion David went to room to change into his own clothes, while The Master wandered off to the kitchen in search of in his words, "a decent cup of tea".

John and Violet were off in one corner talking in low voices, The Doctor tried to eavesdrop but only made out a few words as he twiddled the controls and set a course to the alternate Earth. He was momentarily distracted by a rather tricky setting and when he looked up again they were gone.

As the couple approached David's room they saw the door was open and he was sitting on the edge of the bed staring into space, still wearing the brown robe. It wasn't until Violet sat down next to him that he became aware they were even there.

"Never a dull moment," Violet started and then putting her arm around his shoulders, "are you all right?"

"It's been a wild few days," David attempted a smile but it wasn't very convincing, "being declared a demi-god is very unnerving."

John sat on the other side, "it may take a while for it all to sink in, give yourself some time."

"Right..." David looked down at his hands. Then taking a deep breath, "so are we dropping you back home now?"

"Yes, you are welcome to stay for a bit, you can take a week's holiday and we could show you around," Violet offered with a hopeful smile on her face, "I'm sure The Doctor wouldn't mind."

"Thanks, but I have to get back to my Earth, I'm supposed to be filming in a few days or a few days ago, whew this time travel stuff is hard on the brain!" David laughed.

John saw the crushed expression on his wife's face and truth be told he was a bit disappointed himself but he bore it and stood up, "it's an open ended offer," he said then taking Violet's hand led her out of the room before she lost control.

As they reached the door John turned back, "someday, when you're ready to ask questions or just want to talk, we'll be waiting."

After the door shut David stood up and walked to the window, this time the TARDIS choose a scene that featured a herd of wild Cheaughas running through green lush fields. He smiled at the young ones playing and then let the curtain fall closed again. Absently stroking the sleeve of his robe he looked around the room, deep in thought.


End file.
